u and {31} of other peple undre hym, that
the said chieftein must pay his men of soude so justly and truly, bethout
any defalking [or] abbregging of here wagis, that they have no nede to lyve
by pillage, extorcion, and rapyn uppon the countreis of here frendis that
be yolden undre obeisaunce of here prince. And be this way the ost may
never faut, for then the ost shalbe furnished of alle costis coostis[124]
commyng withe vitailes inoughe; so that it be provided that marchauntes and
vitailers may surely passe and come, and that a payne resonable be made,
that uppon forfeiting that payne no man take vitaile beforce without
payment made in hande, as the proclamacions made by Henry the .v^{the}.,
that victorious prince, in his host. [And also the statutes made by Johan
regent of Fraunce, duc of Bedford, by a parlement at Cane, yn the .ij^{de}.
yeere of [blessed[125]] Henry .vj^{te}., named kyng, uppon the conduyt of
the werre, that I delyvered to your hyghenes enseled, the day before your
departyng out of London, that remayned yn the kepyng of ser Johan Fastolfe
for grate autoritee, a. iij.[126]] And that no damage or offence be done to
the marchauntes. It is fulle gret jupardie and perille to an oost where as
covetise of pillage and rappyne reignithe among men of armes more than
theire entencion is to kepe and meinteine the right of theire prince's
partie. And the worship of chevalrie and knighthode ys that they shulde
peine hem to wynne. And suche as ben of that inordynat condicion of
covetise and rappyne oughte rather be clepid pilleris, robberis,
extorcioneris, than men of armes chevalerous. In example the said dame
Cristen puttithe that the men of armes of the countre of Gaule, whiche now
is Fraunce, that had in a tyme a discomfiture and the overhande uppon the
Romains, being assembled withe a grete oost embatailed upon the river of
Rosne in Burgoyne; and the men of Gaule had wonne gret praies and good, as
horse harneis, vesselle of golde and of silver gret plente; but as to the
worldly goodes they set no count ne prise of it, but cast it into the
river. And in semblable wise it was saide of Johan duke of Bedforde, then
regent, that the day he had the victorie at the {32} bataile of Vernaile,
he exhorted, making an oration to his peple, that they attende not to
covetise, for no sight of juelx and riches of cheynes of golde or nouches
[or] ringis cast before hem or left in the feelde, to take them up, whiche
might be the l